


Send My Regards to Arcadia

by jetreadsstuff



Series: The slightly less ansty than canon pricefield au [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, Angst, Depression, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Priorities, Slow Burn, adult shenanagins, don't be alarmed at the major character death, don't worry there's fluff, gotta have that happy end, hella angsty, how dare you judge me i'm a simple lesbian, i'll add tags as....themes come up, i'm not killing one of the girls i swear, i'm so tired and i was supposed to study tonight but then i didn't, it's fine, just fucking kiss already, like i'm talking this is some hannukkah level slow burn, may have to raise the rating in a bit, pricefield, shhhhh, there might be some......mild smut in there, this is more important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11595267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jetreadsstuff/pseuds/jetreadsstuff
Summary: Chloe Price has been falling for Max pretty much her entire life. Memories play in a random order in her head, always scanning for some sign of even slight reciprocation. And as much as she may deny, ignore, or even actively destroy her own feelings,  no matter what she does, her breath hitches and her heart jumpropes every time she thinks of her "former" best friend.She thought she was prepared to have Max enter her life again, but, as usual, she was dead wrong.





	1. Alibis

Driving. That was another thing Max missed about Arcadia Bay, about Chloe. Just driving in Chloe’s beat up truck. And that was it. Funny how an idea so simple sent a sharp sting into her lungs. Max, in fact, missed so many little, simple, insignificant things about Arcadia that on certain days she’d wonder why she left at all. And the reasons slowly became fewer, thinning like the long stretch of forest as she approached the sleepy town, until at last the only thing in front of her was the small, familiar cityscape.

Max’s lips thinned into a little line as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. The town was, objectively, a dumpster fire on the map just barely south of Cannon Beach. But god, it was _their_ dumpster fire. And Max held it close to her heart as it rotted from the inside out. She was getting close to a diner now. She’d been practically salivating for at least forty miles. It was at this time that she realized that she had absolutely no plan whatsoever. She was going to wing it like some kind of Godless heathen. And this time, she was without the aid of an actual alibi as to why she would come back to this, as Chloe once described it, hick hole.

The godless heathen managed to find a decent parking space and she headed inside, hoping the small diner had fast service and a clean-ish bathroom. The smell of too-strong coffee entered her nostrils, and the clang of silverware created a strange sort of ambience. She sat at a booth towards the front. The upholstery was peeling in places Max didn’t know upholstery could peel.

“Well, well,” a familiar voice approached her. Her back straightened. It couldn’t be...oh she prayed it wasn’t. She groaned. It was.

“Hi stranger,” Max managed to force a small smile. Standing in front of her was the one person she wanted to see least in the world. And it looked like he was her waiter.

“Well, you sound excited to see me,” Frank grimaced.

“I uh, I just wasn’t expecting to see….you. Here, I mean…..” Max trailed off. She searched for another thing to say, “I’m sorry about, you know, everything that happened. And if it’s any consolation, you’re getting a fifty percent tip.” Frank laughed at that.

“Water under the bridge, I s’pose,” Frank scratched at his stubble, “so, what can I get you, Miss?”

“Uh. Eggs. scrambled and black coffee,” Max tapped at the table.

“Yes’m,” Frank cleared his throat. He smelled like cheap cigars and cheaper beer. She had not missed the smell, and in fact had completely forgotten about it. Until now, when with how strong it was she wondered how it ever managed to leave her nose.

By the time he returned from the kitchen with her food, both of Max’s concerns about the diner had been answered, and neither had a good resolution;that bathroom was the stuff of nightmares. However, Frank would soon prove to have concerns of his own.

“So, what brings you to town?” Frank asked, handing her the plate.

“Kinda a long story,” Max shuffled to the corner of the booth.

“I appreciate the heads up, I do have an important business meeting to get to,” Frank’s scowl showed her no sign of joking, but his eyes crinkled, so she laughed. And the laugh seemed to explain Max’s whole life story, because Frank simply chuckled and shook his head.

“There is kinda something I want to ask. And I’d be surprised if you knew the answer but, I mean, you are the first person I’ve talked to since I got to town, so.”

“Shoot,” Frank folded his arms.

“You wouldn’t happen to know if Chloe Price is still…around?” Max wasn’t sure she knew what she meant by ‘around’ but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“The day that girl stops making trouble for me is the day I die a happy man,” Frank answered.

“Huh?” Max asked. He grunted.

“She’s still around. Works close too. There’s a diner about a mile south of town. High Tides. She’s a damn good waitress for how much of a smartass she is,” Frank explained, “now eat your eggs before they get cold.”

Max looked at her plate. A more accurate description of what she was about to eat was scrambled _egg_. And yet, the small serving looked entirely overwhelming.

* * *

 

Max had sat in her parked car, hands on the steering wheel for at least an hour. It was longer than she’d spent in there the day before that. And so on, so forth. Max hoped that as these increments of time grew, she was getting closer to, you know, actually starting the car. She gripped the key, hovering it beside the ignition. Once again, she found herself without a plan.

Her first two weeks back in Arcadia Bay had gone without incident, excluding her short run-in with Frank. She unpacked some, she sat around her new apartment, writing, watching tv, waiting. Waiting for the fear at the pit of her stomach to dissolve just enough for her to go and see Chloe. So far, no such luck. The only thing Max had that even barely resembling a plan was that she made it a rule that under no circumstances was she going to wait as long as the last time. So if she stayed inside four weeks, she was good.

She used this as an excuse to procrastinate. Four weeks was plenty of time. But then it was three weeks. Now it was two. Max rested her head on the steering wheel. Half the battle was just starting the damned car, though that in itself seemed like the task of tasks. She dug her key into the ignition, but didn’t turn it. She closed her eyes. Progress. This was progress, slow as it was. Max tried not to be too harsh on herself this time around. Keyword; tried.

Focusing on her want, her need to laugh with, talk to, hell, even fight with Chloe as motivation by the force of adrenaline, she turned the key. The car hummed a note of agreement. Max bit her lip, and retracted the key just as quickly as she had jammed it in. Two steps forward, one step back. She was getting there. But until her anxiety ran dry, what was she to do besides sulk in her car for forty five minutes, occasionally stopping her heavy stream of anxiety and dread to reblog some aesthetic post on tumblr. Speaking of-

* * *

 

The notification popped up almost instantaneously: “love-you-deerly just posted something!” Chloe’s finger lazily tapped at the notif. Max’s familiar and relaxing peach and black colored theme now lit up her phone. Chloe’s eyes lazily scanned the screen, searching for new content, some sign of signature Max to hold her over until the next post.

“So the bagel place down the street from my new apartment is really good. Like, they probably used some kind of magic to make it taste this good. ‘But max, didn’t you leave the house to go see-’ yuuuuuup. And i chickened out. Again. I have no idea what’s wrong with me, but i gotta get my shiz together soon or else i’ll like, explode, or something. Something. If i don’t do it tomorrow i need one of you to come yell at me” the post read. Chloe smirked. The post was so undeniably Max, that Chloe forgot she was slightly irritated at her quote-unquote ‘former’ best friend for not even calling.

Leave it to Maxine Caulfield to save any interaction for a grand entrance. It only seemed natural after Chloe’s last encounter with her. Or rather, encounters. The seven brief months that Max attended Blackwell Academy, in which she earned infamy as the Blackwell ninja, and eventually got her photography teacher arrested and fired. Not wanting to cause a scene about it, the school deleted any evidence that the photography program had existed in the first place, which unfortunately meant deleting her photography scholarship.

Yeah, that could hardly count as just one encounter, come to think of it, especially considering the countless all-nighters pulled together in Max’s dorm. Still, the memories muddied together, leaving out all the parts of that year that didn’t include the Blackwell Cryptid.

Chloe snapped out of her dazed reminiscing, instead scanning the tags of Max’s latest post. “#When will my delicious bagel return from the war #Seriously guys it was so good #i didn’t know that i was starving till i tasted you #ok i’m done now #Maxine.txt.” Chloe rolled her eyes and refrained from liking the post, no matter how charming it was. She’d been through at least five urls since she’d last seen Max and she didn’t even know if Max knew she was still following her, but it still felt like breaking an illusion of sorts. Like, as long as Chloe didn’t interact with her, it could stay as if they were eighteen again.

Chloe sighed, pulling her hair into a low ponytail. She opened the playlist “Mad Max” on her phone and began the dull cycle of getting ready for work. As the first song played, a nostalgic jam that made her think of long car rides with her best friend, Chloe hummed along, allowing herself to be sentimental for the first time in a long time.

* * *

 

_“Are you coming?” Chloe asked, drumming at the the wall._

_“That depends,” Max rubbed her eyes, “are you gonna actually tell me where it is we’re going this time?”_

_“Nope,” Chloe grinned._

_“If I was going to take_ **_you_ ** _against your will to some random place, at three in the hella morning no less, I’d at least tell you where I was taking you,” Max protested._

 _“That’s funny, because if I was moving to Seattle for five years, I’d actually call you. We all have our quirks,” Chloe didn’t mean to sound snippy. And if she did, she didn’t mean to sound_ **_that_ ** _snippy._

_“Jesus, Chloe,” Max yawned, “okay, okay. I’m going. At least let me shower first though.”_

_“Damn right you are!” Chloe whooped._

_“Easy, tiger.Try not to wake the entire school up while I’m getting ready,” Max instructed._

_“Aye aye, Cap’n,” Chloe nodded, crossing her legs on Max’s bed. Max grabbed her showering supplies and took a glance, a skeptical, all-knowing glance, at Chloe as she closed the door._

_The wait for Max to get out of the shower was an impatient one, Chloe gnashing her teeth in resistance to the impulse to groan loudly. She tapped the toe of her boot on the wall rhythmically. Within about thirty seconds, her boredom finally broke her shackles to Max’s bed. If Max was going to take a long-like, infuriatingly long-shower, as was suspected, Chloe had to find a good way to bide her time._

_Going through her computer, though it was unlocked and had the browser opened, felt like too big of a breach of privacy. Going through her clothing felt the opposite. There had to be a middle ground. Normally Chloe wouldn’t even think to go through someone’s shit while waiting for them to get out of the shower, but hey, Max was a nosy little shit too and she shouldn’t dish it out if she can’t take it. Or maybe she was simply making excuses. Who cares._

_At last, Chloe spotted a stack of well loved books astray from the shelf. Pieces of paper and highlighters were jammed between the pages, making the books seem so much larger than they actually were._

_“Standard Max Caulfield,” Chloe thought aloud, picking up one of the dusty books. She flipped through the book, hunting for annotations and little notes. The fact that someone with the last name Caulfield loved the book “the catcher in the rye” so much was nearly hilarious in its irony. Chloe finished scanning, and worked her way through the stack in a similar pattern. One highlighted passage in particular stood out._

_“There's something about sports. You can be setting fire to cats and burying them in your backyard, but as long as you're playing team sports, people think you're okay.” It read. Chloe laughed. Not so much at the image that it created, gruesome as it was, but that the quote was so irrevocably Max, and that was what made it noteworthy to Chloe. She could spend all day sitting cross legged on the floor of her dorm, dissecting the notes and thereby dissecting Max, searching for her within the pages. That was the thing, though. She hadn’t changed in five years, and yet Chloe didn’t know everything about her. You could spend an eternity getting to know someone. Perhaps that was exactly Chloe’s intention._

_She hummed as she dug through another book, reading quotes both inspiring and sad, in every color of the rainbow. Whether each highlighter color was reminiscent of the quote itself or just of the mood it invoked in the reader, Chloe didn’t know. She went  to go grab another book, effectively slamming into the nightstand that it previously occupied._

_“Chloe what did I say,” Max stood at the door, combing her fingers through her hair._

_“Easy Tiger?” Chloe guessed. Max rolled her eyes, “Okay, so are you finally, finally ready to go?”_

_“You’re not even gonna give me a hint?” Max asked._

_“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Chloe retorted, grabbing Max’s wrist._

_And so the two adventurous pirates escaped the threshold of Blackwell Academy unscathed, and made it to their pride and joy, the Jolly Roger. The old girl shook and sputtered in protest, but nothing was to stop these determined swashbucklers. Chloe let go of Max’s wrist to let her into the car, and Max couldn’t lie, she instantly missed the firm grip. She slid in the passenger seat, Chloe watching her intently as she fastened her seatbelt, almost as if searching her for signs of excitement._

_“Are you ready for the ultimate midnight adventure?” Chloe asked, her eyebrows dancing._

_“As ready as I’ll ever be I guess,” Max yawned. One of her eyes was still squinted shut sleepily._

_“Then let’s blow this pop stand,” Chloe beamed, jamming the key into the ignition._

_The parking lot disappeared beyond the horizon as the Jolly Roger pulled onto the highway. There was a sort of peace in not being able to see Blackwell, being away from all the stress. Max imagined there were a lot of teenagers who could relate to that sentiment, though the stress couldn’t be equivalent to that of a full-fledged investigation led from a tiny dorm room. Still, Max allowed herself to relax for the first time in what felt like years. She would have been able to sleep if not for the crackle of the stereo. Max only saw Chloe in brief flashes of light, Her grin isolated in the moonlight like the smile of a cheshire cat._

_“And I’m not allowed to ask-” Max asked._

_“Nope,” Chloe popped the p for extra umph._

_“Okay,” Max rolled her eyes, “but I am allowed to talk, yes?”_

_“As long as you don’t say anything about our destination, you can talk my ear off,” Chloe answered, not taking her eyes off the road._

_“Ok, so, first of all, I really am excited. We haven’t had a midnight adventure since what, age thirteen?” Max picked at a loose piece of seat stuffing._

_“Yeah it’s,” Chloe’s smile faltered. She took her eyes off the road for a moment, glancing at Max. Her eyebrows were knitted, “it’s been a while.” She turned back to the road, and the tension faded just as quickly as it had appeared. Max mumbled something under her breath._

_“What?” Chloe asked._

_“Nothing,” Max stared out the passenger side window, studying the green of the forest. The colors, already barely visible, blurred together in a mush. Max thumped her leg against the underneath of the seat._

_“Okay well,” Chloe sighed, “we’re almost there.” Her grin returned, and Max couldn’t help but grin back. They pulled off the road, burying the car in a thick, green camouflage of trees. Chloe practically raced over to the passenger side of the car to let her best friend out. She rocked back and forth on her heel in anticipation._

_“Okay,” Max looked around, “now can I ask what the hell we’re doing in the woods in the middle of the night?”_

_“You can,” Chloe grasped onto Max’s hand, guiding her out of the car, “M’lady.”_

_“You did not just call me ‘m’lady’,” Max groaned._

_“Oh, but I did,” Chloe smirked. The girl was practically giddy._

_“Friendship over!” Max joked._

_“We both know that our  friendship is stronger than lame jokes. I mean, if you got rid of me now that would be hypocritical,” Chloe pointed out._

_“My jokes are not lame,” Max defended, though she knew this deep in her heart not to be true._

_“You follow seven different blogs just filled with horrible puns,” Chloe said, digging through the messy trunk of the pickup._

_“Warren thinks I’m funny,” Max crossed her arms. Chloe dropped what she was doing and looked at her as if a skunk had crawled on her head and died there. Max sighed in defeat, “point taken.”_

_“Boo ya!” Chloe shouted in victory, both in the battle of proving Max to be the pun hit wonder, and in the battle of finding the massive quilt and wrestling it from the abyss of the trunk._

_“Don’t you ever worry it’s gonna like, I dunno, rain all over your shit?” Max asked._

_“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Chloe shrugged._

_“If you get to the bridge before you’ve burned it,” Max scratched at her knuckles._

_“Proving my point further,” Chloe smiled triumphantly. Max rolled her eyes._

_“Okay, okay. So what are we doing exactly?”_

_“Stargazing,” Chloe grinned._

_“Stargazing,” Max repeated lamely._

_“Precisely.”_

_“So you dragged me out of bed at three o'clock in the morning, made me shower and get dressed, almost woke up the entire dorm, just so we could do something that could be accomplished from the Blackwell parking lot?”_

_“Gosh, when you say it like that, you make it sound just awful,” Chloe laid the blanket down on the soft mulch._

_“Chloe,” Max’s tone was warning, yet playful._

_“You love that poetic shit don’t you?” Chloe tilted her head._

_“Well, yeah.”_

_“And you needed a break from Blackwell that wasn’t at a place where step-douche is watching our every move, yes?”_

_“Also yes.”_

_“Then sit,” Chloe commanded. Max obeyed, stretching her legs out on the blanket._

_“You make a very compelling case, Chloe.”_

_“I always do.”_

_“You always do,” Max agreed._

_“I am my mother’s daughter,” Chloe picked at the yellowing grass._

_“That woman could argue a well-oiled lawyer into a corner, even if they were right and she was wrong.”_

_“Deep end of the gene pool, I’m tellin’ ya.”_

_“I’ll say,” Max laughed. She looked up at the night sky, so pitch-black it almost looked painted._

_“Oh that reminds me,” Chloe said, pulling her phone out of her pocket, “Jams!”_

_“What about this makes you think about music?” Max questioned._

_“Shhhh. Don’t question my methods,” Chloe commanded, scrolling through her playlist lazily. She smiled, settling on a song at last. Max didn’t recognize it at first, the static and crickets making music of their own loud enough to drown out the small phone speaker. When she finally figured out what song it was, she looked at her best friend in mild shock._

_“You hate this song,” Max pointed out._

_“You don’t,” Chloe retorted. She laid completely on her back now. Max didn’t say anything to that. She really did love this song. And after months of fighting over the auxiliary with Chloe, she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth._

* * *

 

Chloe stared, in almost absolute terror towards the door of the diner. For years, she had been telling herself she would be ready for the day that Max walked back into her life. But she was wrong. She was less ready than a writer forced suddenly to come up with a metaphorical comparison out of nowhere. Max’s eyes caught hers, and Chloe felt a string inside of her snap. Max smiled, so she smiled too. And the thing was that Chloe had been so preoccupied with romanticizing their next encounter, plotting it out, scheming, that she had forgotten to actually prepare for what would realistically happen. Words, Chloe. Use your words.

“Hi,” Max breathed. She wasn’t visibly breathing mind you, save for her slightly flaring nostrils. _Say something. Anything._

“Five years,” Chloe managed a chuckle, “You’re right on time.” _Not that_. Max worried her lip beneath her teeth.

“You look....different,” Max observed.

“That’s funny,” Chloe put a hand on her hip, “because you look _exactly_ the same. Except for, well, except for the hair.”

“You’re one to talk,” Max ran a hand through her own hair, as if unsure if it was there.

“Touche,” Chloe snorted. Her now long hair was pulled into a low ponytail at her shoulders, two shorter strands hanging out of it at her neck. Pink was a good color on her, Max noted.

“And your tattoos. They’re…..well, they look-”

“Real?” Chloe finished. Max nodded sheepishly. Chloe folded her arms, “Yeah, as much as I love using my arms as my personal canvases, I decided to make them a little more permanent.”

“They look really cool,” Max added.

“Thanks,” Chloe grinned, “I designed them myself. Justin inked them in for me. Lost a bet and tatted a couple of ‘em for free even.”

“Justin? As in, our Justin?” Max asked.

“Yeah. Our Justin,” Chloe answered. She stared down at her arms, barely an inch left uninked, “he’s actually a fantastic tattoo artist. On top of holding the Blackwell record for longest beer keg stand.”

“His parents must be so proud,” Max laughed.

“Oh yeah. Hide your collective daughters Arcadia Bay, Justin is coming through!”

“Isn’t Justin…….” Max trailed off.

“Gay? Yeah, that’s...that’s the joke, Max.”

“Thought so,” Max said, digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand.

“You can say the word. Folks aren’t near as uptight here as in Arcadia,” Chloe explained.

“I just...didn’t want you to get in trouble. That’s all. I mean, how am I supposed to know one shithole town from another?”

“Alright, point taken,” Chloe agreed, “but watch your tone, Caulfield. This is _my_ shithole, and you will treat it with the respect such a fine shithole deserves.”

“Ah yes, the respect a shithole deserves,” Max mocked.

“Watch the snark, smartass,” Chloe pointed an accusing finger at her, but her eyes were smiling.

“You get more and more like Joyce every day, you know that, right?” Max asked. Chloe wore a pinched smile at this remark.

“Thank you,” Chloe looked at her shoes, “you always know exactly what to say, Max.”

“That’s why you can’t get rid of me.”

“Like a rash or a bad fungus.”

“Chloe,” Max rolled her eyes.

“Okay, okay. You’re right. A captain needs her first mate, and you are unfortunately a damned good one.”

“I try,” Max grinned. There was a beat of silence.

“Okay, well,” Chloe rubbed the back of her neck, “Despite what my boss likes to say, I am gonna have to do some work.”

“Your boss sounds delightful,” Max joked.

“They are. They’re just fueled by sarcasm like you. Bustin’ balls and whatnot,” Chloe explained.

“Gotcha.”

“Yeah. I get off of shift in a couple of hours, so you can just do whatever until then. There’s a jukebox in the corner, coloring books, and free wifi. Take your pick.”

“This is like, Max Caulfield heaven.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a coffee date,” Chloe tapped at the pot.

“And _I’m_ the sarcastic one.”

“Yeah because of stuff like that,” Chloe pointed out.

“Touche,” Max squinted.

* * *

 

Max wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting Chloe’s apartment to look like, but it sure as all hell wasn’t this. It still radiated Chloe vibes because, well, it was Chloe, but it didn’t have quite the same essence of eighteen year old Chloe’s room. For one thing, no spray paint decorated the walls, barely even any posters. Max attributed this to both the suspicion that such decoration would be a violation of lease and to the fact that Chloe Price was far less rebellious when she had nothing to rebel _against_.

“Welcome to my little shithole within a shithole,” Chloe declared, “make yourself at home. There’s soda and butter in the fridge.”

“Soda and butter?” Max repeated.

“Yep, all the essential food groups,” Chloe fiddled with a stereo in the corner of what could be considered the living room.

The fridge contained only soda and butter, yes, but the quantity of said necessary ingredients tightly packed the appliance. Max heard music coming from behind her. She picked a soda flavor at random and briskly shut the door.

“You wanna order some pizza?” Chloe asked, “Being a snarky little shit to customers and reuniting with with my first mate has made me hella hungry.”

“Who says no when they’re offered pizza?” Max questioned.

“Right answer,” Chloe clicked her tongue and grabbed her phone.

When the pizza arrived, Chloe made it a point to chug ten lemon-lime sodas in a row to make room enough in the fridge for the box. Max tried to point out that the two of them could surely finish a medium sized pizza in one sitting, but the girl was unstoppable. Fizz poured from her lips as she drank, making her look akin to a rabid squirrel. Max laughed, which in turn made Chloe laugh, and let’s just say having soda fizz come out of your nose from laughing too hard is both an amazing and horrible experience at once.

“Okay,” Chloe covered her nose. She was still laughing hysterically, “new rule of thumb, no more chugging soda with you around.”

“Probably for the best,” Max laughed.

“Jesus that stings,” Chloe reached for the paper towels.

“I warned you, man,” Max pointed out, “you dug your heels in the dirt and did it anyway. Classic Chloe Price.”

“Whatever,” Chloe rolled her eyes, “all I proved here is that Chloe Price is still a fuckin’ beast.”

“Also true,” Max agreed. Chloe cleaned off the fizz. She winced slightly when the paper towel touched the metal of her septum piercing. “Is your nose okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Chloe said through gritted teeth, “it’s just still kind of a fresh piercing, that’s all. Sensitive.”

“Ah.”

“Shit!” Chloe scrunched up her nose again, “You know what, just to be safe, there’s a bottle of solution on the bathroom counter. Grab it for me?”

“Sure,” Max nodded.

Chloe’s bathroom, in contrary to her apartment, actually hadn’t changed in the last five years. Laundry littered the floor, a bra hanging from the doorknob, as if marking her territory. Max spotted the solution on the cluttered counter, beside a large bottle of pink hair dye. Max took a moment to consider that Chloe was lucky she didn’t have to bleach her hair every time she wanted to change her appearance.

“Max, today!” She heard Chloe shout. Max snapped out of her daze and rushed to her best friend’s side with the solution.

“Your knight in shining armor has arrived,” Max held up the bottle. Chloe snatched it away quickly.

“My knight in shining armor is a little late,” Chloe snarked.

“Sorry. Your counter ate the bottle and I had to do some digging,” Max lied. Well, not technically a lie, more like an un-truth.

“Right,” Chloe concentrated on her reflection in the living room mirror. She dabbed carefully around the piercing hole, hissing softly when she hit more sensitive areas.

“Do you think it’ll get infected?” Max asked when she appeared to be finished.

“Nah. The solution is really just a precaution. Plus, they give you a shitload more than you need, so might as well put it to good use.”

“Good,” Max sighed. She pushed up her nostrils like a pig’s nose, “Do you think I could pull off a septum piercing?”

“Well,” Chloe seemed to consider this, “I mean, your body. Pierce your eyelids for all I care. But, no. I don’t think you could pull one off.”

“Why not?” Max asked.

“You’re,” Chloe hesitated, “well, you’re too cute for it, for one thing. It would throw off the whole Max Caulfield vibe.”

“Oh,” Max said plainly.

“You’d look cute with a stud though,” Chloe added.

“Oh,” Max said again. She looked down, in ill-attempt to hide the blood rushing to her cheeks.

“Better,” Chloe announced, tossing the paper towel into a small trash bin.

“Good. A trip to the ER is not the ideal way to spend my first night back together with you,” Max folded her arms.

“There goes my plans for this evening, then,” Chloe smirked, “but now that you bring it up, what _is_ your ideal way to spend tonight?”

“Guess I hadn’t really thought about it,” Max answered.

“Lame!”

“Yeah, alright, like you have an absolutely epic plan in mind?”  
“As a matter of fact,” Chloe paused for dramatic effect as she turned up the volume to deafening levels, “A traditional Price-Caulfield jam sesh is in order.”

“Does it have to be this loud?” Max asked.

“Yes, yes it does. Woo!”

“Did someone spike your soda?”

“C’mon!” Chloe shouted over the music, “Dance! You know you want to!”

“Do I now?” Max smirked.

“Yep. We both know I’m too irresistible for you to not want to dance with me.”

“If your arrogance wasn’t warranted it would be hella annoying,” Max pointed out.

“Come on Mad Max! Cut loose!”

“Mad Max? Haven’t heard that one in a while.”

“Darlin’ you’ve got to let me know,” Chloe sung along, “Should I stay or should I go?”

“You are ridiculous,” Max laughed, but she was dancing along now.

“It’s always tease! Tease! Tease!” Chloe sang, powersliding as much as you can powerslide on carpet.

“You’re happy when I’m on my knees!” Max joined in, banging her head.

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about!” Chloe cheered, jamming on an air guitar.

Max was laughing so hard her sides hurt. This. She’d missed this. The tangible parts of friendship. Too long had she spent hiding behind phonecalls and screens, afraid to let herself want this. Afraid to let herself come back home to experience the things she wished for. But now, as she danced like an absolute fool, there was no need to yearn. Everything was right there. And for once, everything felt absolutely okay.

Chloe couldn’t help but stare at Max. Her smile was bright enough to burn holes in Chloe’s skin. She let herself stare in brief spurts, avoiding eye contact. Perhaps one day Max would look back in time to catch her staring. Wouldn’t that be just be divine?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had Alibis by Marianas Trench stuck in my head the whole fuckin time i was writing this chapter so blame that  
> My tumblr is moonsofmercury  
> my twitter is theplanewrites  
> i'm not abandoning my other projects just let me LIVE WOMAN (ok no I just need a few fandoms to choose from)


	2. Panda Bear Key Chain

_ It was within a week of Max abandoning her best friend in a shithole of a town for the second time when she decided that this time she was going to put in an effort. She couldn’t let Chloe slip away. Not this time. _

_ “I’ve missed you,” she typed. The phone made a swoosh noise as she hit send. That was how easy it was to keep Chloe tethered to her little world. Why couldn’t she have done this the first time, again.? _

_ Swoosh. Max’s eyes shot open and she lazily grasped at the phone at her side.  _

_ “I’ve missed you too….” It had only been half an hour since Max had sent her text, but Max looked at it as if she’d been searching for this single message for decades.  _

_ “You should come visit. Or I come visit you,” Swoosh, “whichever is easier.” _

_ “I wouldn’t wish a vacation to Arcadia Bay on my worst enemy, let alone my best friend.” _

_ “That’s sweet, but you know I have other friends beside you in Arcadia, right?” Swoosh. _

_ “You have other friends besides me?” Winky face emoji. Max rolled her eyes.  _

_ “Ha. Very funny. Perhaps you remember Warren? Alyssa? Justin?”  _

_ “These names…….vaguely ring a bell.” Max knew she was messing, but this was getting annoying. _

_ “Dude, you hang out with Justin. Come on.” _

_ “Ohhhhhh you mean my Justin?” _

_ “Yes, yes. Or perhaps you remember Kate, who we literally hung out every day with?” _

_ “Okay, okay, her I remember.”  _

_ “Yeah. I’ve gotta drive down to Arcadia one of these days and see all of you guys.” _

_ “But especially me, right?” Wiggly eyebrows emoji. _

_ “I thought you hated emoticons.” _

_ “They assist me in being as annoying as humanly possible.” _

_ “I’ll say.” _

_ “Stepdick is taking the family for Applebee’s and he won’t let me bring my phone. SOS.” _

_ “Aw what? Now I’m hungry and all we have at the apartment is hamburger helper.” _

_ “We?” _

_ “Staying at Fernando’s till I get my own place. Possibly here, possibly in Bigfootville.” _

_ “Ah shit he’s giving me the death glare. I’ve gotta go, please don’t starve yourself.” _

_ “I make no promises.” Max turned off her phone and headed to the fridge in search of pizza coupons. Sure enough, a camera shaped like a magnet was her salvation as it held up a two-for-one deal with a side of breadsticks and a two-liter. Max couldn’t help but do a victory dance as she picked the coupons off the fridge. She hoped that Fernie liked Meatball pizza.  _

_ Chloe’s question went unanswered for the rest of the night, hanging heavy on Max’s mind. “Especially me, right?” and the answer had popped in her head just as quickly as the question had sent. “Of course. Of course ‘especially you’ dumbass. I’m in love with you.” But she couldn’t say any of that out loud, or even type it, so she just angrily gnawed at her pizza in the hopes that the aching feeling in her chest would dissolve, much like the ache in her stomach, depending how much pizza she shoved in there.  _

_ Hint: It did not. _

_ Second hint: Fernando was a vegetarian, and Max felt so bad she agreed to do his laundry for the rest of the month.  _

* * *

 

Max woke up with Chloe’s limbs tangled around her, and a long strand of pink hair in her mouth. She could not lie, short haired Chloe was better in that regard. But her hair fell into her face so perfectly. It took literally all of Max’s willpower not to lean forward and kiss her awake. Chloe seemed to sense this thought as her eyes opened, and she let out a long yawn.

“Hey,” she sighed sleepily, brushing strands of hair out of her face. Max’s breath caught in her throat. The thoughts were always there, dull but aching, but today they seemed less melancholy and more like someone was trying to stab her in the ribcage. 

“Hey,” Max repeated, pushing her impulses to the corner of her mind. She hummed a note, and Chloe had a terrible, terrible thought; that she could stay like this for hours. She shot up in bed. 

“Breakfast?” she asked a little too quickly.

“Soda and butter for breakfast? At risk of my heart retiring on the spot, I think I’ll pass.” Chloe rolled her eyes at the comment, and yanked at Max’s sleeve. 

“We’re going to get real breakfast. You know, at a restaurant?” Chloe announced.

“Fancy,” Max mumbled, “what’s the occasion?” 

“We’ve got a full itinerary for the day, and we’re not gonna accomplish any item on the list if you lay there like a sack of potatoes,” Chloe answered.

“Charming, as always,” Max scoffed, but she was smiling.

“Ah, shut up. This is why you love me,” Chloe grinned.

“This is why I love you,” Max echoed. Chloe’s grin faded into an emotion  Max couldn’t quite pinpoint. Maybe Chloe was catching on? Dear lord, Max hoped not. She couldn't deal with the consequences of her one-sided attraction. 

Granted, by the end of their last escapade, they were more benefits than friends, but the attraction must have been purely physical on Chloe’s side, interspersed with you’re-my-best-friend-and-i-feel-safer-with-you-than-anyone-else type feelings. Besides, Chloe had been very, very stoned all those times. Of course, the attraction was  _ not  _ one-sided and Chloe was very much as head over heels with Max as vise versa, it was just that Max didn’t know that. 

Yet.

* * *

 

_ “And while Justin and I were making out, Rachel started-”  _

_ “Wait, what?” Max asked, interrupting Chloe in her storytelling. The loud thumping of music just outside of Justin’s parents guest room did little to subtract the surreality.  _

_ “What do you mean, what?” Chloe asked, taking a drag. _

_ “I mean, like, you’ve made out with Justin?” Max asked. _

_ “Yuh-huh. Like a bunch in Senior year,” Chloe puffed. _

_ “But you’re both gay. Really gay. Super fucking gay. You have a collage of boobs in your um……” Max trailed off. _

_ “Say the name, or you don’t get an explanation,” Chloe commanded. _

_ “Your….” Max sighed, “Your masterbation station.” Chloe exploded into a fit of laughter. It was always extra funny when Max said it. _

_ “Yeah, that’s kind of how we found out we were gay. But there was a lot of kissing to preface that. We never went farther than that though. I think that’s what clued us in.” _

_ “Ah. But you and Justin? Dating? That must have been a sight.” Just then, she heard Justin howl like a wolf. Speak of the devil, and he will appear. _

_ “We never dated. It was all ‘friends with benefits’ type stuff. Compared to the stuff I did with Rachel, it was fucking Disney.” _

_ “Wrong. It wasn’t fucking. That’s why it’s Disney.” Max joked. And Chloe laughed, actually laughed at one of Max’s terrible jokes. She was stoned, after all, but something made it seem more genuine than that. “But friends with benefits? I don’t know. Does that ever really…….Work?” _

_ “Define work,” Chloe puffed again. _

_ “Work…...Like, someone doesn’t get hurt. Can meaningless sex ever truly be meaningless...Is what I’m trying to ask here.” _

_ “Well, in the case of Justin there was no sex to overanalyze, in the case of Rachel there was, but I caught feelings and screwed the whole thing up, and in the case of Justin and literally anyone he’s hooked up with, slight feelings are inevitable. It doesn’t work most of the time.” _

_ “Most of the time?” _

_ “It can work out. If the dynamic is right then what’s in the bedroom stays in the bedroom, and what doesn’t stays to goofy inside jokes and misadventures.” _

_ “Give me a for instance.”  Max knitted her brow. _

_ “Okay…..” Chloe turned to face Max, “I think that could work out between us.” Suddenly Max’s entire world was crashing down around her. Abandon ship! _

_ “You do?” Max blinked. _

_ “Fuck, did I just say that out loud?” Chloe groaned. _

_ “Yuh Huh?” Max practically shouted.  _

_ “Okay, well, time to dig myself out of this shithole,” Chloe rubbed her forehead, “what I meant is…...You and I have known each other for a million years. Established friendship. And we know each other’s...preferences. You’re already my favorite person on Earth, so no chance of getting more attached to you than I already am. It’s just a hypothetical, not saying I want to do it, I mean, also not saying that I’m not physically attracted to you and you’re not really fucking hot, because I am, and you are, and ah fuck, what am I saying. Stop me.” _

_ “Jeez,” Max said. She was caught between bewilderment and amusement. She hoped that Chloe was high enough to not notice how red her face was. Chloe looked uber embarrassed, and Max wanted to calm her down. So she said something that she prayed wouldn’t be remembered the next morning, “I think you’re really hot too. I mean, so don’t feel bad. I’ve had my fair share of wild dreams with you.” _

_ “Really?” Chloe perked up. She was smirking now.  _

_ “Yeah, so, hypothetically, It would work. The you and I thing. No strings attached. Hypothetically.” Oh my god stop saying hypothetically, she silently scolded herself. _

_ “Hypothetically,” Chloe slid off the purple chair in the corner of the room. She walked to meet Max, “hypothetically, you could kiss me right now.” _

_ “Oh god, you are really, really stoned.” _

_ “So? You are too.” _

_ “I’m less stoned,” Max insisted, and yes, hypothetically.” _

_ “Doesn’t mean this is a bad idea,” Chloe brushed hair out of Max’s face.  _

_ “I think that’s exactly what it means,” Max pointed out. _

_ “So, hypothetically, would you turn down the proposal of being friends with benefits?” Chloe’s heart was beating in her ear.  _

_ “Hypothetically, are you asking me right now?” _

_ “Hypothetically, maybe.” _

_ “Hypothetically, I’d say yes.” Max? Hello? Impulse control? _

_ “Hypothetically, tell me if you want to do this, and I’ll make out with you right now.” _

_ “Stop saying hypothetically and just kiss me.” And Chloe, for once in her life, did exactly as she was told. _

* * *

“MAXIMUS! CRIMSON AND CHLOVER! WHAT! THE FUCK! IS UP!” Justin shrieked as he answered the door.

“We’re getting breakfast, loser,” Chloe announced, “Mad Max just got back in town and we can’t tear shit up on an empty stomach.”

“What? I’m hurt,  _ hurt _ that you guys didn’t call me to let me know Caulfield was back in town. I woulda spruced up the place beforehand if I’d had prep time,” Justin said, gesturing to his tornado of an apartment.

“We all know if you picked up one beer can you would consider this place immaculate,” Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Watch out, Chloe’s been using her word of the day toilet paper to her advantage,” Justin snarked. Chloe just flipped him the bird. 

“Dude. Don’t make us leave you here, Chloe has like, fifty things planned out, and in her own words, we need you for at least 30 of those,” Max commanded.

“Yeah, yeah,” Justin folded his arms. 

“Alright assholes we gotta haul ass. Otherwise we can’t do half the shit on my list. That’s about how many of these have time restraints,” Chloe pointed at her car. 

“What kind of adventure from hell have you got in mind, Chlo?” Justin raised an eyebrow. Chloe leaned over to whisper at Justin, but Max interrupted him.

“Nope, I do not think so. If he can’t know, I can’t know either,” Max complained. 

“Okay, fair,” Chloe nodded, tugging at Max’s sleeve again.

“What?” Justin sputtered, “C’mon, Chloe, I’m your greatest adversary.”

“Not my greatest,” Chloe argued, “but you have been known to put up with the most of my shit, and for that I applaud you.”

“You’re…..tolerable,” Justin agreed.

“How dare you. I am fucking delightful,” Chloe crossed her arms.

“You just said-”

“Yo, professor assmaster, you’re not supposed to agree with her. A true great adversary would know that,” Max pointed out.

“Touche,” Justin squinted, “but I sit shotgun or no dice on me paying the tip.”

“You are a shitty tipper. There’s absolutely no way am I going to thrust that upon a fellow waitress. We have to stick together in this cruel, unforgiving world.”

“Since when is 40% a shitty tip?” Justin demanded.

“Since I said so,” Chloe grinned.

“What authority do you have? Your jurisdiction at work is coffee and tortilla chips,” Justin pointed out.  

“I am a fourth generation Oregon waitress. I’m practically the fucking  _ queen _ of Waitressing.”

“Queen of assholes, yeah,” Justin rolled his eyes.

Chloe laughed, genuinely laughed, and twirled her keys around her finger. She had the same robot panda keychain that she did five years earlier. 

* * *

 

 

_ Girlfriend wasn’t the right word. That struck Max one day after waking up with Chloe gone. No, the word girlfriend implied other words like pleasant and flowery and cute. This wasn’t any of those things. And maybe if Max didn’t have a hollow pit at the center of her ribcage every time Chloe kissed her, she would be able to pretend everything was alright. But she did. And she couldn’t.  _

_ Sure, they were hooking up about once a week. Sure, Max couldn’t exactly say she was single. Sure, she was wearing Chloe’s tee shirt. And sure, Max had never had a girlfriend before to compare this with. But it was different. Off. _

_ A girlfriend would hold her hand and wear their relationship like a goddamned cape. One would go on real, actual dates with restaurants or walks on the beach or even just the fucking junkyard. If they were girlfriends, Max wouldn’t be trying to find a word alternative to that to describe the strange union between them.  _

_ So they were un-girlfriends. Something in between. That was cool. They still got to do friend stuff, but with something that let Max kiss her and not effectively ruin everything. So why did Max lay on her bed staring at the ceiling with this massive fucking hole in her, not feeling anything other than a dull pain.  _

_ They’d been un-girlfriends for three months; three months of absolute torture, but it was only now that Max realized how utterly fucked she was in this situation. Max forced herself up, fighting against her anchor to the bed, which clung her there like a sticky film all around her body. _

_ Swoosh.  _

_ “Yo, meet us at Two Whales diner. And haul ass, we think we’ve struck a major break in the case and we need you to actually be here for the info to sink in. It’s hella mind-blowing,” her phone read. So Chloe needed her to meet up with the gang? Great, perfect. She was clearly feeling up to investigating the case. _

_ It took her far too long to remember that Chloe didn’t know she was going through hell, that it was an innocent text, and that Chloe was just trying to be a good first mate. So it wasn’t exactly like Max could be mad at her. Great. The only thing worse than being mad at your best friend is  _ **_wanting_ ** _ to be mad at your best friend, but there’s no logical reason to be other than the fact that you’re in love with her and God, Max, what made you think this was a good idea.  _

_ Well, the answer to that was weed, impaired motor skills, and the constant want for something more than best friends, than captain and first mate, when a few months earlier she had no idea that a relationship greater than that existed. Well, not greater, no. Moreso just different, but in a good way. And this, this current situation, was different in a bad way. A very bad way. This never would have happened if Max hadn’t mistakenly eaten a medicated brownie at that party. This is your own fault, Max, she reminded herself. _

_ Still, Max couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself. That was one of the few things that Max was actually good at. She stretched out headed for the closet. She couldn’t very well show up to Two Whales wearing Chloe’s faded black Green Day tee. Well, she could damn well try, and holy shit, she wanted to try.  _

_ To make something public, something even slightly tangible about her un-relationship with Chloe. Apparently realizing your feelings for your best friend at seven o'clock in the morning caused strange, mushy urges to be all goddamned cutesy. That alone was a symptom of great concern. _

_ But, alas, Max didn’t even like Green Day, which alone would raise at least Justin’s eyebrow in concern. More than that, the shirt was one of Chloe’s favorites, faded in just the right places, ripped and distressed. Even if she didn’t wear it practically every day, it was still so…..so undeniably Chloe, no one would dare question that it was hers.  Maybe that’s why Max loved the shirt so much.  _

_ She shook even the slightest hint of that idea from her mind, settling instead to assess her closet, sizing up outfits. Most of her closet was made up of deer tees, hoodies, and jeans. It fit Max’s aesthetic fine, but she knew that if she ever had enough money to afford a “real” style, she would go ape. _

_ Sure, Max wasn’t showing up in Chloe’s clothes, but she still wanted to give off a slight Chloe vibe. A public show of her private affections that wouldn’t raise concern, not even Chloe’s. She settled on a panda tee shirt, thinking of Chloe’s cute, little key chain. You’re overanalyzing, Caulfield, she reminded herself as she grabbed her shower supplies and  _ _ wondered how many historical pirates got stoned and screwed their first mates.   _

* * *

 

 

“Jesus tapdancing Christ it is cramped back here,” Alyssa complained.

“Alyssa,” Kate warned, 

“What?” Alyssa asked honestly. Kate sighed and muttered something dismissing whatever her previous comment was going to be.

“It is, like, hella crowded back here,” Warren agreed, poking his elbow into Max’s side.

“Two things,” Chloe responded, “one, hella is  _ my _ trademark. Get your own catchphrase. Maybe a dorky bullshit chemistry joke that Stella would fall for,” she winked.

“I don’t like Stella,” Warren sputtered. 

“Whatever you say, Graham,” Chloe rolled her eyes and winked again.

“If he says he doesn’t like her, he doesn’t like her,” Justin chimed in, tone slightly snappish.

“Whatever. Okay, second off, the back of my car fits three people comfortably. Four? Not so much,” Chloe continued.

“Why is Justin the one who gets to sit up front?” Warren groaned.

“I’ve got seniority, bitches!” Justin whooped.

“Oh, kiss my ass,” Warren rolled his eyes.

“Ooh la la!” Chloe laughed.

“Oh, my god,” Warren said, burying his face in his hands.

“Okay, as much fun as this highway to hell is, I’m gonna need a fantastic explanation as to why I’m in a position where I’ve mistakenly touched Kate’s breast four times now,” Alyssa said, tugging at her seatbelt.

“Yeah, Chloe, you’ve had your fun, tell us where we’re headed,” Max commanded.

“We, my friends, are going to a museum of our union. We shall toast our reuniting at the very place  where our journey began,” Chloe was doing just about the worst captain Jack Sparrow impression ever heard by human ears. But there, of in the distance, was such a monument. Only the best times were held there.

Two Whales Diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit this took me forever to update. Real life has been fuckin' chaos, y'all   
> Thank you all for the lovely comments on chapter one!


	3. Rewind

Was it Max’s imagination, or had the booth gotten smaller? It felt smaller. Really, everything felt smaller. The diner itself seemed to have shrunk in on her. It didn’t help that six adults were cramped in a booth met for four people maximum. Chloe was practically sitting on Max’s lap.

It felt...different. Maybe it was that Max left. Maybe it was the air fresheners. Or maybe it was just how distance made memories morph. But Max knew the real reason that the whole place had an atmosphere of melancholy, though she tried not to admit it to herself. It was Joyce. Or, rather, the lack of Joyce. Max shifted in her seat. She didn’t mean to think about it, but the whole restaurant just felt... _ wrong _ to her. And she wouldn’t dare ask, but she was pretty sure the others thought the same.

“What can I get y’all?” The waitress asked boredly. Something about her made Max’s skin crawl. It wasn’t her fault, really. Max knew that. The six ordered, eating in extreme levels of awkward silence. 

And Chloe just sat in the corner, staring out the window, looking absolutely ill. She was beginning to think this whole “returning to your roots” thing was a bad idea.

“Okay, Chlo, where to next?” Justin asked. 

“If I told you, that wouldn’t be very fun, now would it?” Chloe teased. 

“Why did an intense sense of dread just encompass the diner?” Warren groaned.

“Because you just used the word encompassed. What the fuck dude?” Chloe tousled his hair and climbed out of the booth, trampling a good half of the booth passengers. 

“Chloe!” Max protested, letting out a grunt. 

“Be ready for adventure,” she beamed. 

* * *

 

“ _ Quit hogging the fries, jackass!” Chloe said, slapping Max’s hand away. _

_ “Hey, I’ve been gone for five years, I have a lot of Two Whales to get caught up on,” Max pointed out. _

_ “Yeah, well, if you wanna eat the fries, you gotta pay for your own,” Chloe retorted. _

_ “Touche,” Max said. _

_ “Speaking of eating,” Justin chimed in, pointing at Joyce emerging from the kitchen with their main courses. _

_ “Woooo!” Chloe cheered. _

_ “Chloe, please,” Alyssa grumbled, flipping through her novel. _

_ “And what dollar store smut are you reading this week, pray tell?” Chloe asked, leaning into Alyssa’s shoulder. _

_ “It’s actually fairly tasteful for what it is, thank you very much,” Alyssa protested.  _

_ “Not tasteful enough for a young lady such as yourself,” Joyce chimed in.  _

_ “Sorry, Joyce,” Alyssa lowered her face behind the book, hoping to hide how flustered she was. It did not work. _

_ “Now, now. Young Alyssa  _ **_is_ ** _ an adult,” Chloe pointed out, “no need to be so uptight, momma.” _

_ “For goodness sake Chloe, I was messing around. I swear, you have no sense of humor,” Joyce sighed. _

_ “Oh, no,” Warren sighed. _

_ “Here it comes,” Justin agreed quietly. _

_ “Like you’re one to talk,” Chloe snorted. _

_ “What on Earth is supposed to mean?” Joyce huffed. _

_ “Doesn’t feel so good, does it?” Chloe rolled her eyes. _

_ “Chloe…” Joyce said in a warning tone. _

_ “Guys, stop. Please?” Max asked, “For me?” _

_ “Apologies for making everyone uncomfortable,” Joyce smiled meekly. _

_ “Sorry,” Chloe huffed, falling back into her seat. Joyce stalked off quickly, and everyone let out a long sigh, including Joyce herself. _

_ “Chloe, are you alright?” Kate asked. _

_ “Sure. Why not.” Chloe stirred her ketchup with a french fry.  _

_ “Well, you seem very mad at your mother,” Kate pointed out. _

_ “When am I not mad at my mother?” Chloe snorted. The booth grew silent. _

_ “I’m in fights with my mom all the time too, Chlo. So is Kate. I’m sure even Graham gets mad at his mom sometimes. The difference is that our moms are all awful,” Justin snapped. _

_ “I see no difference,” Chloe mumbled. She did. She did see the difference. And even though she pretended she couldn’t see her mom looking disappointed and a little hurt in the background, she still felt a twinge of pain. Remind her to kick her own ass. _

* * *

 

“Actually, Jo, yo” Chloe called the waitress in the corner pretending to fix the jukebox over to their booth.

“What can I do for my favorite smartass customer?” Jo asked.

“For old time’s sake, would you mind?” Chloe asked, taking a digital camera out of her purse. 

“Of course not!” Jo smiled.

“Here, use mine,” Max offered, “if we really wanna go old school.”

“Good idea, Max,” Chloe flashed Max a small smile, and slid back into the booth next to Justin. The six of them smiled as wild as they could, waiting for the picture to come out.

“Forgive me, I’m no Max Caulfield….or Kate Marsh...or Alyssa Anderson, but I did my best,” Jo handed the photo off to Chloe.

“It’s perfect,” Chloe beamed. She turned to face the rest of the booth, “okay, assclowns, guess where we’re headed next.”

“Where?” Warren sighed.

“I said guess,” Chloe said in a singsong voice, motioning the five out the door. They all shared mutual looks of doom. This was gonna be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a storm comin alright....A storm of ANGST that is  
> this chapter is a wee bit shorter (like 50k words shorter if i REALLY let myself loose lol) than i wanted it to be, but I was really really anxious to get a new chapter out after so long. Next update will be within the week, and might be a tad too long considering how much i held myself back  
> go to my writing blog for them good updates and fic recs https://cryptid-kogane.tumblr.com  
> hit me up on my fandom sideblog https://moonsofmercury.tumblr.com


	4. Lighthouse Blues

 This…this was where it started. This is where it ended. This is where they stood currently, trying not to freeze. The cliff with the lighthouse. It felt like stepping into a scrapbook, surrounded by nostalgia. It was mixed nostalgia, somehow painful and wistful all at once. 

“Okay, next time you take us hiking, Chloe, I expect you to warn us first at least,” Justin huffed, collapsing on the bench. 

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise,” Chloe said, staring at the sky. 

“I hope we’re not doing anything else physically exerting today,” Warren chimed in. 

“ Oh, relax, you big babies,” Chloe rolled her eyes, “  We had to come here. It is a symbol of our friendship and getting a little tired isn’t going to hurt anybody.”

“She eats nothing but pizza and waffles, and yet she somehow managed to climb up here without breaking a sweat. Seems entirely unfair,” Max gripped her knees to steady them. 

“She’s right, though,” Alyssa chimed in, “like it or not, this is the place that we’re all gonna remember when we’re all old and cranky.”

“Fuck this, I am old and cranky now,” Justin shouted. 

“It seems so much bigger now,” Kate marveled, “I always thought it would seem smaller when we were older.  But it doesn’t.”

“It’s like we shrunk in on ourselves,” Chloe agreed.

“Yo, John Green, did you bring any beers for our reunion?” Justin asked. 

“She wouldn’t have,” Warren sat down on the bench next to Justin, “Kate doesn’t drink, the smell makes Max sick, and Alyssa prefers fancier stuff.”

“I don’t know how a broke ass such as me managed to develop such expensive taste, but…” Alyssa shrugged.

“The romance novels, they affect your sense of what shit you can afford,” Chloe explained, fiddling with her septum ring.

“Lame!” Justin exclaimed, moving to lie down on the bench. He rested his head on Warren’s lap and watched the clouds move. 

“You guys are spoiling the moment,” Chloe rolled her eyes again.

“Please. My sarcasm and apathy are essential to our group dynamic.  It wouldn’t be a group reunion if I was weird and sincere,” Justin pointed out.

“You know what? You’re right. If you aren’t constantly cracking jokes, how are we supposed to know who in the group we like the least?” Warren chuckled and Justin nudged his face in annoyance. 

“Okay, okay,” Chloe folded her arms, “if you asses wanna be done here, we can be done here.”

“No,” Justin simply said, “once the pain in the assery is done, it is actually...kind of nice.”

“Aw,” Kate smiled.

“The walking fart joke has feeeelings,” Chloe prodded at her friend.  0 Justin stuck his tongue out at her. 

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Alyssa swung her legs over the side of the cliff.

“Dumbass, you’re gonna fall off the cliff,” Chloe tugged Alyssa’s shirt backwards.

“And we come here, a buncha shitty adults and ruin the entire atmosphere of this place,” Alyssa continued.

“Hey, I didn’t bring beer,” Chloe said.

“We are all bitterly aware of this fact,” Justin responded.

“But but but, there’s a case of sodas in the trunk of my car,” Chloe held out her keys.

“Someone has to trudge all the way back down this cliff and come back with armfuls of sodas?” Max asked.

“Yup. Any takers?” Chloe jingled the keys.

“Why don’t you do it?” Warren asked.

“ Because I bought the sodas for everyone else like a considerate human.   Furthermore I am the boss around here. So, I ask again, any takers?” Chloe swung the panda keychain around her finger. 

“Not it!” Max shouted.

“Not it!” Alyssa followed.

“Not it,” Kate said, calmer than the others.

“Not it!” Warren shouted. 

“Great,” Justin groaned, sitting up, “y’all are assholes.”

“We know,” Chloe said with a shit eating grin on her face. 

“I’ll go with you and help you carry the sodas,” Warren offered. 

“Thanks,” Justin smiled.

“Justin and Warren alone together?” Chloe waggled her eyebrows, “Seems like the two of you will find any excuse for that.”

“Oh my god,” Warren groaned, burying his head in his hands.

“Seriously, seriously assholes. All of you. Even Kate...sometimes...occasionally...a little,” Justin seethed as he took the keys from Chloe.

* * *

 

_ One of Max’s favorite memories came to be around a week before they solved the mystery. Sometimes she still wished they hadn’t. They were in the woods.  Chloe and Max were on the bench at the lighthouse, staring over the edge of the cliff. Alyssa was somewhere trying to find the tree where she had carved the name of her first crush to make it look like nothing had ever happened.  Kate was writing in her journal. Warren and Justin were wandering aimlessly like a pair of jackasses.  _

_ “We’re so close,” Chloe bounced her leg. _

_ “I just hope this isn’t just another lead that goes nowhere,” Max sighed. _

_ “ No, it isn’t,” Chloe looked over to Max,  I can feel her.” _

_ “What do you mean?” Max asked. _

_ “Look, I know you don’t believe in this stuff but…” Chloe looked down, “Remember right after my dad died when I kept having dreams that he was still alive?” _

_ “Yeah?” Max shuffled away a little. _

_ “Well every morning when I had one of those, I felt so at peace, like he was trying to send me a message. Like I could finally feel protected and safe and loved and everything.  I feel that again, Max. It’s all consuming, and it’s wonderful,” Chloe looked at Max, “I can feel her, Max. I can feel her calling us to take her home.” And in a way, she was right. Knowing now what she didn’t know then, she would not have said it the same way. _

_ “ Me too,” Max grabbed her hand.  _

_ “You’re gonna love her, Max,” Chloe grinned, “you two have the same artistic eye. And we’re gonna go on so many adventures, the three of us.” _

_ “We have to,” Max agreed. _

_ “ And Warren and Kate and Alyssa and Justin too. Rachel loved Justin. And she’s gonna love the rest of you, too. She’ll think I’ve done such a great job assembling the team.” _

_ “I can see it now.  The seven of us against the world.” Max smiled. _

_ “Epic,” Chloe rested her head on Max’s shoulder. At the time, she selfishly wondered what Rachel’s return would mean for Max and Chloe’s complex and intense relationship. Knowing what she knew now, thinking about this particular moment made Max ill. That was the last time they had gone to the lighthouse.  _

* * *

 

After a long day of being at the cliff and losing track of time, there wasn’t much room left for the rest of Chloe’s plan for the day. She shrugged it off and said there would be other days and other agendas, dropping the crew off at their respective houses. 

“Wanna spend the night again?” Chloe asked lazily.

“Yeah,” Max yawned.

“It’s barely ten pm,” Chloe said, as if responding just to her yawn.

“I’m tired at all times,” Max responded, “you know that.” 

“Fair,” Chloe drove in silence for a little while. 

“Hey, Chloe?” Max asked.

“Yeah, first mate?” 

“Something on your mind?” 

“I was just…” Chloe trailed off, “It didn’t occur to me that the last time we went to the lighthouse was the last time I was there. And the last time I was there…”

“I know, Chloe,” Max thumped her head against the headrest.

“I haven’t been back to the junkyard, either,” Chloe continued, “I hung out there. Every single day. So angry at Rachel for leaving when she was lying dead ten feet away.” Silence again.

“It’s not your fault, Chloe,” Max assured her. 

“That’s what I keep trying to convince myself. Thinking about hanging out there makes me want to throw up.”

“She would have wanted you to find her.”

“I know,” Chloe sighed.

“Good.”

“Hey Max?” Chloe looked over.

“Yeah?” Max asked.

“When we get back to my apartment, remind me to do something really important with you.”

“What’s that?” Max asked.

“You’ll see.”

“Okay,” Max nodded.

“But don’t let me forget or chicken out, promise?”

“Okay,” Max agreed.

“Promise?” Chloe asked, louder.

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) I am in so much pain


End file.
